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Despite the large amount of literature assessing how spiritual and religious beliefs have an impact on mental health and suicide risk in various groups of patients, few studies have investigated patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The purpose of this study is to investigate whether spirituality and religiousness (S/R) are associated with the presence of suicide risk as well as whether those beliefs are also associated with the presence of mental health problems in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Cross-sectional study carried out in three Brazilian dialysis units involving hemodialysis patients. The study assessed religiousness (Duke Religion Index); spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp 12); mental health - depression and anxiety (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview–MINI); and risk of suicide (MINI). For analysis, adjusted logistic regression models were applied. A total of 264 (80.7%) patients were included, 17.8% presented suicide risk, 14.0% presented current major depressive episode, and 14.7% presented generalized anxiety disorder. Concerning spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp 12), the subscale of “Meaning” was associated with lower risk of suicide, depression, and anxiety. The subscale “Peace” was associated with lower depression and anxiety, whereas the subscale “Faith” was associated with lower suicide risk and depression. Religiousness measures were not associated with the study outcomes. Spiritual beliefs were associated with lower suicide risk and better mental health among hemodialysis patients. Factors related to spiritual well-being, such as “meaning”, “peace” and “faith” were more associated with the outcomes studied than religious involvement. Further studies are needed to replicate our findings in different cultural and religious settings.

Cancer remains a major global health challenge, and the limitations of conventional therapies have intensified interest in treatment strategies that combine improved selectivity with reduced systemic toxicity. Photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy have emerged as minimally invasive approaches capable of achieving spatiotemporally controlled tumour ablation. In this context, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a transition metal dichalcogenide with strong near-infrared absorption, high photothermal conversion efficiency, and versatile surface chemistry, has gained increasing attention as a multifunctional platform for drug delivery and light-triggered cancer therapy. This review examines recent advances in engineered MoS2 nanoplatforms for drug-enhanced cancer phototherapy, with emphasis on how surface design and therapeutic cargoes mechanistically amplify light-triggered tumour killing. Approaches such as polymer coatings, biomimetic membranes, targeting ligands, chemotherapeutic agents, nucleic acids, and photosensitisers have been explored to improve colloidal stability, tumour targeting, immune evasion, and stimulus-responsive drug release, while also adding complementary cytotoxic pathways such as chemotherapy, ROS generation, or gene silencing. Available in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that these systems generally exhibit favourable short-term biocompatibility under the tested conditions and can produce significant antitumour effects following irradiation. The review also discusses key biological barriers and translational challenges, including biodistribution, long-term safety, reproducibility, and regulatory considerations, highlighting opportunities for the development of clinically viable MoS2-based phototherapeutic platforms.

Background Climate change may strongly influence soil erosion risk, namely through variations in the precipitation pattern. Forests may contribute to mitigate the impacts of climate change on soil erosion and forest managers are thus challenged by the need to define strategies that may protect the soil while addressing the demand for other ecosystem services. Our emphasis is on the development of an approach to assess the impact of silvicultural practices and forest management models on soil erosion risks under climate change. Specifically, we consider the annual variation of the cover-management factor ( C ) in the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation over a range of alternative forest management models to estimate the corresponding annual soil losses, under both current and changing climate conditions. We report and discuss results of an application of this approach to a forest area in Northwestern Portugal where erosion control is the most relevant water-related ecosystem service. Results Local climate change scenarios will contribute to water erosion processes, mostly by rainfall erosivity increase. Different forest management models provide varying levels of soil protection by trees, resulting in distinct soil loss potential. Conclusions Results confirm the suitability of the proposed approach to address soil erosion concerns in forest management planning. This approach may help foresters assess management models and the corresponding silvicultural practices according to the water-related services they provide.

Splenosis refers to the uncommon phenomenon of heterotopic autoimplantation of splenic tissue within the abdominopelvic or thoracic cavities, typically observed in patients with a history of splenic trauma or surgery. Intrahepatic splenosis is an even rarer occurrence, with its pathophysiology attributed to the \"seeding\" of splenic pulp fragments into the liver following splenic injury. Alternatively, a hematogenous spread of splenic cells through the splenic veins may also contribute to hepatic implantation. This condition is often asymptomatic and is usually detected incidentally. The absence of specific radiological characteristics makes its diagnosis particularly challenging, as it can be easily mistaken for other hepatic masses, including adenomas or hepatocellular carcinoma. This case report highlights such a diagnostic challenge. A 51-year-old male patient was referred for further investigation of a well-circumscribed, homogeneous solid liver lesion, incidentally detected during a routine abdominal ultrasound (US) and initially suspected to be focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH). The patient was asymptomatic, with no palpable abnormalities on physical examination. His past medical history included hepatitis B, systemic arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, nephrolithiasis, and an urgent splenectomy performed a decade earlier due to traumatic rupture. Laboratory tests revealed a mild elevation in liver transaminases, without signs of cholestasis. Immunologic and microbiological analyses ruled out acute hepatitis B. To further assess the hepatic lesion, abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed, revealing two nodular formations in segments II and III. The lesion appears homogeneous and isointense compared to the liver parenchyma on both T2- and T1-weighted images, with no signal drop observed on T1 out-of-phase sequences. During dynamic imaging following gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) administration, the lesion demonstrates intense homogeneous enhancement in the arterial phase, with no washout observed in the portal phase or the 10-minute equilibrium phase, findings suggestive of β-catenin-mutated adenoma, which carries a risk of malignant transformation. Given this concern, after evaluating the operative risk, surgical intervention was recommended. The patient underwent exploratory laparoscopy, during which both lesions were enucleated with clear margins. The postoperative period was uneventful, and he was discharged the following morning. Histopathological examination confirmed the presence of heterotopic splenic tissue within the liver, with no signs of malignancy. This report underscores the importance of considering intrahepatic splenosis in the differential diagnosis of hepatic nodules, particularly in patients with a history of splenectomy, especially when lesions are located near the liver capsule.

Thyroid tumors are common in humans and cats, occurring most commonly as benign lesions, whereas thyroid carcinoma is barely detected in both species. Determining the mutational status of MAPK-related genes (BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, and KRAS) and the activation status of MAPK and mTOR pathways is crucial for establishing the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of human patients. So far, the role of such players in feline thyroid tumorigenesis remains underexplored. This study aims to elucidate the presence and implications of potential shared molecular mechanisms between human and feline thyroid tumors. Fifteen formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded feline thyroid epithelial tumors (four tumors with atypia and 11 with no atypia) were collected to perform mutational and immunohistochemical analyses. Sanger sequencing targeting human homologous hotspots revealed no mutations in BRAF (human codon 600) or RAS (human codon 61) regions. A KRAS missense mutation (p.Gln232His) was identified in two tumors with no atypia of follicular pattern (2/15, 13%). Regardless of the mutational status, pERK (Thr202/Ty204) was immuno-expressed in 10/11 (91%), pS6 (Ser235/236) in 100%, and pAKT (Ser473) in 8/11 (73%) of the tumors with no atypia. The expression patterns of pERK, pS6, and pAKT and their associations with clinical-pathological features seem to mirror the progression dynamics observed in human thyroid tumorigenesis. pAKT expression was associated with the presence of multiple tumor foci within the same thyroid lobe, suggesting its potential as a marker of aggressiveness in feline thyroid tumors. This study introduces cats as potential animal models for human thyroid tumorigenesis, with further research required to confirm such potential.

In 2001, Finish investigators described a rare familiar syndrome characterized by an inherited susceptibility to cutaneous leiomyomas, uterine leiomyomas, and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) is now linked to a germline mutation in the fumarate hydratase (FH) gene that encodes a Krebs cycle enzyme, transforming fumarate to malate. The accumulation of fumarate, an oncometabolite, promotes tumorigenesis. We present a case of a 41-year-old female diagnosed with HLRCC after a radical nephrectomy due to renal cell cancer. Genetic analyses confirmed a novel FH mutation. Close follow-up allowed for a precocious diagnosis of a metachronous renal tumor and later a hepatic metastasis. Her family was also counseled and offered genetic testing. As observed in this case, the diagnosis of HLRCC is of paramount importance for patients and their families: there is a 15% cumulative lifetime risk of developing RCC, which frequently occurs in young patients and metastasizes at an early stage. Implementing a regular follow-up with adequate imaging examinations may help save lives.

PurposeDynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), a mitochondrial fission protein, and its active form phosphorylated at Serine 616 (S616-p-DRP1) have been increasingly associated with tumorigenesis and invasion in various tumor models, including oncocytic thyroid cancer (TC). In this study, the expression of DRP1 and S616-p-DRP1 and its relationship with patients’ clinicopathological characteristics, tumor genetic profiles, and clinical outcomes were assessed in a large series of follicular cell-derived TC (FCDTC).MethodsRetrospective biomarker study characterizing the clinicopathological and immunochemistry DRP1 and S616-p-DRP1 expression of a series of 259 patients with FCDTC followed in two University Hospitals.ResultsDRP1 expression was positive in 65.3% (169/259) of the cases, while the expression of the S616-p-DRP1 was positive in only 17.3% (17/98). DRP1-positive expression was significantly associated with differentiated tumors (67.7 vs. 48.0%; P = 0.049), non-encapsulated tumors (73.8 vs. 57.4%; P = 0.011) and thyroid capsule invasion (73.4 vs. 57.5%; P = 0.013). S616-p-DRP1-positive expression was significantly associated with tumor infiltrative margins (88.9 vs. 11.1%; P = 0.033), thyroid capsule invasion (29.8 vs. 3.1%; P = 0.043), lymph node metastases (23.3 vs. 8.1%; P = 0.012), and higher mean cumulative radioiodine dosage (317.4 ± 265.0 mCi vs. 202.5 ± 217.7 mCi; P = 0.038). S616-p-DRP1 expression was negatively associated with oncocytic phenotype (0.0 vs. 26.2%; P = 0.028).ConclusionsS616-p-DRP1 is a better candidate than DRP1 to identify tumors with locally invasive behavior. Prospective studies should be pursued to assess S616-p-DRP1 role as a molecular marker of malignancy in TC and in patients’ risk assessment.

Open-cell foams based on hydroxyapatite (HAp) can mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) to better replace damaged hard tissues and assist in their regeneration processes. Aerogels of HAp nanowires (NW) with barium titanate (BT) particles were produced and characterized regarding their physical and chemical properties, bioactivity, and in vitro cytotoxicity. Considering the role of piezoelectricity (mainly due to collagen) and surface charges in bone remodeling, all BT particles, of size 280 nm and 2 and 3 µm, contained BaTiO3 in their piezoelectric tetragonal phase. The synthesized nanowires were verified to be AB-type carbonated hydroxyapatite. The aerogels showed high porosity and relatively homogeneous distribution of the BT particles. Barium titanate proved to be non-cytotoxic while all the aerogels produced were cytotoxic for an extract concentration of 1 mg/mL but became non-cytotoxic at concentrations of 0.5 mg/mL and below. It is possible that these results were affected by the higher surface area and quicker dissolution rate of the aerogels. In the bioactivity assays, SEM/EDS, it was not easy to differentiate between the apatite deposition and the surface of the HAp wires. However, a quantitative EDS analysis shows a possible CaP deposition/dissolution cycle taking place.

Intraabdominal infection by species, although a rare condition, usually occurs after a disruption of the mucosal barrier in a peritoneal organ. This infection is characterized by the development of an extended and persistent inflammatory and fibrotic reaction that can be mistaken for other pathogens or different etiologies, like tumors or inflammatory diseases. It can present as an abscess, a stricturing tissue with multiple adhesions, and/or a fistulization. Early diagnosis, targeted and prolonged antimicrobial therapy, and optimal drainage when indicated, are the key to success. The authors present a case where laparotomic hysterectomy was complicated by a superficial and an organ/space surgical site infection due to   with a posterior developing of a colo-vaginal fistula that was treated surgically.